


An Unexpected Delivery

by knavessofhearts



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-08
Updated: 2018-01-14
Packaged: 2019-01-31 02:26:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12666390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/knavessofhearts/pseuds/knavessofhearts
Summary: Neal Cassidy gets a lot more than he bargained for when his best friend, Belle French, returns from a cruise





	1. An Unexpected Delivery

**Author's Note:**

> ***Hi All! Thank you for the lovely kudos and comments on this work! It makes me happy to know someone actually likes them  
> I'll do my best to continue this little verse, but my creativity is a fickle mistress -lovely comments quieten the mistress though ;)  
> I have about 3 more 'Unexpected' moments planned I want to cover, after that i'm not too sure what will happen but I really want to commit to this story and see it through! ***
> 
> Love, reyberrie/knavessofhearts

Neal is an obstetrician. I know, not what you’d expect a former car thief to end up in as his profession. It was kind of a long story, and funny enough involves a stolen car and his girlfriend, soon to be fiancé, Emma Swan. Well hopefully fiancé. He hadn’t asked her yet, but the ring box was burning a hole in his pocket so badly Neal was sure he was going to have to get Dr Whale to treat him for second degree burns.

 

It was a little over 10 years ago, and Neal and Emma had been living in their makeshift home that was the infamous yellow bug. Life had been pretty amazing for the two of them, on the road, no strings to hold them down…they ate what they wanted, when they wanted, slept for days if they desired or stayed up for 3 days straight eating Cheetos and burgers. Life was pretty great for the two of them, living a carefree and reckless existence, until the stick turned pink. Being young, and stupid, and young, and REALLY stupid, Neal and Emma thought that they had everything under control. Yes they could live their idealised life, freedom and all, AND have a baby! Not a problem! They had 40 weeks to live out their last days of being kids and then they would smarten up, take the money from their last heist and settle down to raise their kid. And like the young and foolish kids they were, they left everything to the last minute. Emma was days to her due date, when the two decided to have one last hurrah and sped off on a road trip. And, like their impatient parents, the baby decided it was time to join in on the fun. And, just like their risky lifestyle, their risky car broke down.

They were hours from any kind of hospital, and the paramedic on the phone did his best to assure Neal that an ambulance would reach them in no time. Emma was fuming, this was all Neal’s fault that they were stuck in the middle of nowhere and their child was going to be born in a Volkswagen Beetle. It became clear quite quickly that the baby was going to beat the ambulance, and suddenly Neal found himself being coached by the 9-11 operator on how to deliver a baby. Some screaming, swearing, and angry slapping later, baby Henry came into the world- by the side of their beloved yellow beetle. And just like that, Neal’s world had changed.

In an instant, holding his son for the first time and witnessing his life beginning, Neal found a new purpose in himself. The awe of what he had witnessed, of not only bringing a life into the world but helping someone in this most treasured moment, it was like a bolt of electricity hit him. This was what he was supposed to do, this was how he could help others.

And so, a reckless teenager who delivered his son next to their stolen car turned his life around. He grew up into the man we begin this story with today, Doctor Neal Cassidy, licensed and practicing obstetrician. He had delivered hundreds of babies, and was proud of every single one of them. But none so more than the one that started it all. His freckly, scruffy haired 9 year old who loves reading and exploring.

Funny enough, explaining to his father that he wanted to be an obstetrician was harder to explain than the reason Neal had run off at 16, and returned two years later with a tired girlfriend and a screaming baby. But, under his father’s steely glare and uncharismatic composure, Neal knew his papa and he had welcomed them into their home. After some intense arguing and a fragile reconciliation, the four of them became a somewhat functional family. His father adored Henry, and supported Neal through college and medical school. He even helped Emma find her path in the world, through his law firm he helped her become a private investigator- a field Emma shined in.

After years and years of supporting their family, Neal and Emma decided to give back to the cranky old man who pretended he loved no one, but was as soft as a marshmallow. They surprised him with an all-expense paid cruise trip around Europe. At first he protested, what was a lawyer going to do on a cruise ship? Neal was also sceptic of sending his hobby-less father onto a cruise, but Emma insisted to a point of threatening. And 8 weeks later, Neal’s father returned a new man. He had a spring in his step like Neal had never seen, he was almost…happy.

 

It had been some time after that, Neal asked his father about proposing to Emma- expecting a cynical response- who joyfully exclaimed that it was about damn time Neal asked. And so, for two weeks the ring box had been in Neal’s pocket…and waiting for the perfect moment. But the perfect moment hadn’t shown up yet. Neal was sure he wanted to marry Emma, why not? They were practically already married, they lived together, they had a child, surely it wasn’t the craziest idea in the world.

Neal found himself pondering and pondering this all throughout a murky day at Storybrooke General. It was a slow day- only one mother to be- and unfortunately it gave him plenty of time to think. Maybe Emma didn’t want to get married, traditional had never really been her style.

Neal had an epiphany, and marched over to the nurse’s station. Ruby was manning the desk, and thankfully not a sole in sight. Ruby can help him out, she had known Emma and Neal for years. As Neal got closer, he groaned, she wasn’t alone. Ruby was standing and chatting to someone seated across from her, out of Neal’s sight. Maybe it was just Ashley, as long as it wasn’t Dr Whale- the man was a terrible gossip.

“Ruby! I need your advice and I need it like your drinks- straight and honest!” He sighed and plopped his head onto the desk, awaiting her sound opinion.

“Well…maybe you shouldn’t be asking me, maybe you should tell _her”_ Ruby chipped, and Neal raised his head and grimaced.

“Who now?” he asked, and Ruby smiled cheekily and moved out of the way, so that Neal could see who she had been talking to.

“Belle?! Belle!” Neal exclaimed and his grimace turned into a wide grin. Sitting under the desk, was a sight for sore eyes, Nurse Belle French. Belle was the first friendly face Neal had met at this hospital. Her kind, blue eyes and shining brown hair had been his only friend through the rough first month. She had been his best friend ever since.

“It’s good to see you, Neal!”

“Where the hell have you been? It’s been a doghouse here since you left.”

“Hey!” Ruby retorted, and Neal frowned at her with a scowl.

“I went on a sabbatical, I guess you could call it…And I somehow ended up being a nurse on a cruise ship for about 6 months.”

“That sounds crazy! I cannot wait to hear all about it over some well-earned drinks,” Neal proclaimed and held out an inviting hand to Belle. He retreated his hand when he saw her hesitate.

“As long as the drinks are orange juice, because….” Belle paused and stood up, and Neal felt his eyebrows rise up into his hairline, as a large and familiar shaped belly popped up into view.

“…I’ve been having virgin drinks for about 9 months now,” Belle laughed, and Neal shook his head in disbelief.

“How did you not tell me?! You’re pregnant!” Neal ran around the desk and hugged his best friend, simultaneously ecstatic and alarmed.

“Oh, you know, I had my whole ‘you can do it on your own mantra’ going on, but then I realised I miss you…I missed this place. And it’s where I want my child to grow up,” Belle explained, and Neal just beamed.

“I’m so happy for you, Belle” Neal breathed, and the two locked eyes in mutual excitement. Until….

There was a splash, and Belle’s eyes widened.

“Uh oh…” Belle whispered, and Neal looked down.

“Uh oh, indeed” Neal confirmed. The two looked at each other frantically and realised what was about to happen.

The ring box in Neal’s pocket was the last thing he was thinking about now.

 

Some hours later, Belle was in labour and being coached along by her former co-workers, and everyone found it highly hilarious. By nightfall, it was just Neal and Belle laughing and caching up. Until, Neal knew he had to ask the hard question.

“Belle, who’s the father?” Neal looked up at her, and Belle was suddenly fascinated with the creases in her sheets. Eventually, she looked up.

“It wasn’t anything serious, it was just…. caught in the moment. We had too much to drink, too much dancing and it was….it was a perfect night. I’d never been so happy” Belle reminisced, lost in her memories.

“Sounds like a charmer, why didn’t you tell him you were pregnant?” Neal asked, and Belle shook her head.

“It was a perfect night. Singular. He wouldn’t have wanted to know, he was older, already had a grown-up child, I couldn’t put him through that again, and I have no idea what the man is actually like. Besides…I’m good at doing things on my own,” Belle piped up, wiping away a tear. Neal grabbed her hand and squeezed it tight.

“Well, too bad you’re stuck with me then,” Neal joked, and Belle laughed.

Soon enough, Belle was squeezing Neal’s hand so tight that he thought she was going to break his fingers.

“Hey, Hey, Belle maybe ease off on that I still have to deliver your baby” Neal squirmed free of her grip as Belle continued to scream.

“OK I KNOW I AGREED AND WE ARE ALL ADULTS AND DOCTORS BUT NEAL ITS REALLY WEIRD THAT YOU’RE GOING TO BE SEEING MY-“

“And there’s the baby’s head, okay! Too bad Belle, this show is on the road and I’m all you got” Neal exclaimed and snapped on some gloves.

“Why don’t you tell me a bit more about this fella, huh Belle? What did he look like?” Neal chimed, trying to distract Belle from the pain.

“He was…short, he had greying hair and ARHHH! A nice SMILE!!”

“Doing good, Belle doing good! You said he was a good dancer right? What was his style?”

“He wasn’t that great...he had uh- OW OW- a limp…and a…cane!”

Neal froze. And looked up at Belle.

“With a golden head?” Neal asked with wide eyes, and soon enough, Belle too followed suit with a daunting look on her face. It suddenly dawned on Neal, how long Belle had been gone…and how long ago his father had gone off on that cruise…

“What was his name?” Neal hushed, _really_ afraid of what Belle’s answer was going to be, and what that meant for their current situation. Belle’s jaw dropped as they both answered at the same time with…

 

**_“Nicholas”_ **

 

The two didn’t have another second to react when, with one final scream and push, Neal held a tiny, red faced newborn in his hands.

Neal sighed, and went about his business, like he had done a hundred times before, but this time was definitely like no other. He wrapped the baby in a blanket and placed it in Belle’s waiting arms.

 

“It’s a boy…”

 

And it’s his brother.


	2. An Unexpected Announcement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neal tries his best to deliver some strange news to his father, who assumes Neal is about to tell him he has finally proposed to Emma.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thought I would continue on from that little revelation, with Neal breaking the news to his father...pretty much how you'd expect it to goXD

His son had organised a lunch that Wednesday out of the blue. Neal knew that he wasn’t one who enjoyed ‘brunches’ or loud cafes, but invitations out to lunch usually entailed delicate conversations. Conversations that required witnesses. Neal had informed his father at a café that he intended to leave town and ‘find himself’ at the age of sixteen over eggs benedict and raisin toast. Two years later, at a restaurant Neal had presented a screaming newborn and a shy blonde-haired woman with their pasta regatta.  His son was blessed with many talents and attributes, but subtly was not one of them.

So when he was summoned to yet another luncheon, Nicholas Gold just groaned. Why on earth was he being subjected to yet another Neal-Bombshell, and what ever could it be this time? Was Emma pregnant again? Has Neal had another career change of heart? Were they finally moving out of his home?

The last one was the most likely scenario, if Neal had finally gotten the courage to propose to Emma they would of course be looking for their own home now. Despite how often he pretended to be annoyed by the family’s constant presence in his manor and crowding him, he hoped that they weren’t about to leave in any rush. Gold loved his family, and hated loneliness despite being the most isolated person he knew. Deep down he knew this day was always bound to pass, they couldn't live with him forever. It was just supposed to be until they both landed on their feet. Then it was until Henry was settled, then until Neal finished his degree, then until Henry recovered from breaking both his arms falling off the jungle gym at school. Time and time again it had been put off and set aside, until they all just seemed to accept it. Yet it was always in the back of Gold's mind, and he knew it was in their minds as well. They needed their own home, they were their own family. As much as Gold was a part of it, the three of them were a self contained unit. Perhaps if things had worked out with Neal’s mother Gold would feel differently, or if he had married another woman. Gold had always felt like an outsider even with her and Neal as a child, they never felt like a real family. Gold couldn’t ever recall feeling like he had a real family.

He took a sip from his coffee and looked out the café window, and catching sight of his son in the foot traffic outside. He was pacing, frantically. Oh no. Emma _is_ pregnant again. Or Neal has been fired, or Henry has been caught graffitiing the bathroom walls at school. Something that would require Gold’s help…and wallet. He groaned, but admitted to himself he was a little bit delighted. His son need him badly enough he was pacing in the middle of a busy street.

As Neal got up the courage to move a little closer to the café, Gold caught sight of Emma cautiously walking behind him. Gold watched them from his seat, taking another sip of his coffee. They were arguing, and though he had no audio he could tell by their mannerisms it was not an angry argument. Emma was trying to convince Neal to come inside, and Neal was looking for an out. Neal was scratching the back of his head- his telltale sign of nerves, and Emma's hands were on her hips- her sign that she wasn't having any of this. Gold saw Emma kick into Mom-mode, which usually involved some lovable head slapping and swearing, and Neal was straightened out. Emma was a vicious fighter, it was what made her a brilliant investigator and a stellar mother. Gold was just as fond of her as he was his son, perhaps a little more for bringing Neal back to him all these years ago.

Neal finally approached the café, and Gold quickly looked away so he would not be caught watching Neal’s awkward pacing. When he heard the door bell chime, he looked up from his coffee to see his son twisting his scarf in his hands.

“Hey, pops!”

Good lord the kid was nervous, He hastily ordered a coffee and sat opposite Gold. They sat in silence, just the two of them, until Neal’s coffee arrived and he started furiously stirring in his sugar. Gold looked around the café.

“Where’s Emma?”

Neal cleared his throat. “Um. She thought it best to not be here when I…when I told you.”

Gold sat up a little, intrigued, alarmed and a little annoyed. Gold didn’t think he had a temper, or a short fuse as he once heard Emma call it, but more a level tolerance of bull-shitting. And Neal was shitting up a storm. The possibility of this being an engagement announcement grew less likely the more Neal stirred his coffee.

“So, uh. I don’t really know how to tell you this, Papa, but…see there’s this…thing. Where you, and uh, well-“.

“For God’s sake Neal, don’t tell me Emma’s pregnant again,” Gold lamented. No way could he afford another mouth to feed, but wouldn’t a granddaughter be a nice thought. He wondered whether a granddaughter would be too different to Henry as a baby, how would Henry react to-

“No, no, no, no, god no. No, no, no. No. No no,” Neal frantically took a sip of coffee, the veins on his temples popping in tension. Gold let his son recover for a spell.

“Okay. Definitely not that option then going off that reaction. What is going on, Neal? You haven’t been this nervous to tell me something since Henry spilt juice on my suit.”

Neal wrung his hands together, in numerous formations to find the most natural, eventually giving up and clamped his hands together with his knees, looking exactly like he did as a teenager in trouble.

“So, you might not remember when I told you about Nurse French at the hospital right? One of the midwives I worked with quite frequently?”

Gold frowned, he vaguely remembered a mention of such a person, but he took it with about much weight as when Emma talks about her Uber driver.

“Well, she…went away for a while last year, just wanted a change of scenery you know. And uh….well she ended up working as a nurse on a cruise ship for about six months…In fact, on the cruise….you went on,” Neal admitted through gritted teeth.

Gold raised an eyebrow ever so slightly, still failing to see why this nurse was causing his son to go into near cardiac arrest.

“Can’t say I crossed paths with her, son. I’ve never even met her,” Gold shrugged.

“Actually…you have, Papa. You two did meet…” Neal uttered, and Gold leaned in a little closer.

“She was the…the one you….you two and….” _Oh. OH. Oh no._ He was remembering the events of a cruise, a somewhat life changing moment for Gold. He had been quite hesistant to go on it, but eventually found it was a much needed respite he needed in his life. He learnt to be a different person, and experience something more outside of his little world. And that experience has included….

Gold put the dots together. The 20's themed night, the dance-floor, the girl with blue eyes, the laughter, alcohol, kissing, dark rooms and....

He slept with his son’s best friend.

“Oh, I see…I guess the truth came out then. What a terrible coincidence that ended up being,” Gold coughed, and suddenly became fascinated with his own hand movements. Why were hands feeling so unnatural and awkward all of a sudden?

“Yeah, it is…And uh, there was also something else that uh….came out of your interaction together,” Neal explained slowly, but Gold just continued to frown. He sighed, pulled out his phone and showed it to his father.

Gold looked down at the phone, and it was a photo of a newborn baby. Quite unremarkable, like every other newborn in the world.

“It’s a baby,” Gold said matter-of-factly, failing to see the point. Neal’s face was going red again.

“It’s Belle’s baby, Nurse French. I delivered him yesterday,” Neal explained, looking patiently at his father as if he was supposed to be connecting these pieces some how.

“A rather ordinary task for you everyday I’m sure,” Gold sighed. What on earth were they discussing?

“Papa, it’s yours. That is your son,” Neal exploded in a rather loud outburst, and collapsed against the back of his chair.

Gold felt like he was frozen, he couldn’t move or react in any way possible. His hand was still clasping Neal’s phone, but his body has stopped responding to his brain’s commands.

A son. Your son? My son? With Belle?! That Neal delivered?!?!?!?!

“Papa? Papa?”

Gold finally became unstuck as his body caught up to his racing brain, and all he could manage was an exacerbated, and nervous laughter. Surely this was just a ridiculous prank his son was pulling, and Emma was going to burst through the doors with her engagement ring any moment. But then he looked down at the phone again, at the tiny, sleeping newborn on the screen.

He had a son. He had another son.

With his son’s best friend.

“Right…okay. This is…..tremendous news,” Gold managed to choke out, and squinted his eyes. Why was his son swaying side to side and going all blurry? Neal was racing towards with a worried look on his face, what was going on? Oh. Oh right, Gold realised just as his head hit the ground that he was passing out in shock. In a lot of shock.

He was going to be a father, _again._


	3. An Unexpected Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gold meets his son. Belle comes face to face with the one person she never thought she would cross paths with again, and reminisces about the night she met a captivating stranger named Nicholas.

She had never seen anything so, completely and entirely beautiful. When he came into the room, Belle felt her heart stop in a way she had never experienced before. Her whole body radiated with excitement and affection, unlike anything she had felt for any man before. This man was different, he was special, and all hers.

The nurse had taken him for his checks and a bath, and seeing him being wheeled back into her room was the greatest joy she had ever felt. He had only been gone for a few hours, but it was a few hours too many he hadn’t been in her arms. Belle never wanted to let him go, she couldn’t nearly imagine enough time in the world to memorise every detail about him. The shape of his eyes, the way his ears stuck out just a little, how pink his skin was, or the tiny fingernails and toenails that just seemed so implausibly cute. How could nails be so cute?

Belle couldn’t wait to spend the rest of her life looking after this baby, ever since she found out she was pregnant she knew it was what she was meant to do. It had scared her, the enormity of being responsible for a human life, to raise it and educate it, but it was an adventure like any other. All she needed to do was be brave. And her son, looking into his eyes, was all the source of bravery she needed.

The baby stirred, and started to whimper, but Belle quickly acted to calm her little boy. She began to sing a lullaby, one buried deep in her memory. Perhaps it was from her mother, or just some harmony she heard on a show or film. Whatever it was, it had always been a tune Belle sung to herself when she was feeling sad or unsettled. And it seemed to work for her son, who soon fell back into a deep sleep in his mother’s arms. Belle couldn’t believe how full her heart felt, tucking the blanket around him tighter, before there was a soft knock at the door.

Belle still had a smile on her face as she looked up to see her visitor, expecting Neal or Ruby stopping by before their shift. It was not the face she was expecting.

In an instant, it was nine months ago, and she was sitting at a bar sipping on a cocktail. The hospital gowns were now a glitzy, beaded flapper dress and her messy-just-gave-birth-hair in a beautiful and shiny bob.

It was her night off, after weeks of work aboard the cruise ship. She was dead on her feet, and wanted nothing more than to be in her pyjamas and sleeping soundly in her bed. The on-board doctor that she worked with most days had encouraged Belle that she couldn’t miss out on 20’s night, a night to remember he had told her. Belle had been reluctant to admit it, but the doctor was right, and she was actually enjoying herself.

The music was excellent, and filled her ears and heart with a strange joy and longing for another era she had never lived in. A time of dancing and freedom, of new things to come. Everyone at the party seemed to be soaking up the vivacious atmosphere, all except one. She had seen him around the cruise ship multiple times, and was slightly aware of him thanks to the cruises’ medical alert list as people to be aware of. His cane made him stand out, but oddly enough he blended in quite well with tonight’s theme. He looked like a regular gangster, suspenders and all. Belle wondered, perhaps he too was wishing that he belonged to this era.

Belle realised she had been watching him, and averted her gaze before she was given away- returning to her cocktail, and began wondering what her day tomorrow would entail. No day was like the other on this cruise ship, it was a crazy adventure that she sometimes couldn’t believe she was on. Belle had never done anything so reckless and daring as boarding a cruise ship. Her idea of wild had been ordering Chinese two nights in a row. Now, 5 months aboard a cruise ship she was like a different person.

“Wondering why the music is so bloody terrible as well?”

Belle snapped out of her musings, to see the familiar cane lying on the bar next to her, the man laying down his fedora next to it as he ordered a drink.

“Wondering why cruise ships make people evolve into entirely different beings, actually,” Belle informed the man, who laughed feverishly. He sat down next to her.

“Oddly enough, I had been wondering the exact same thing,” he replied, and Belle smiled in surprise.

“So are you referring to the middle-aged couple couple over there twerking to jazz music or to yourself?” Belle mused, and she saw the horror in the strangers eyes as he glanced at Belle’s apt description on the dancefloor.

“Definitely myself, people that odd are always that odd,” he laughed, and Belle found herself giggling along to him.

“And how has this cruise been a transformative experience for you, Mr…?”

“Nicholas, or Nick,” he offered his drink, to which she replied with a greeting clink with her own.

“Nick. How has this cruise opened your eyes then?”

“Well…it has made me realise how much I despise cruises, and rough seas,” Nick quipped, and Belle nodded.

“Yeah, you are not wrong there,” Belle took another sip of her drink, and turned back to Nick. By the dimly lit bar, Belle could gather he was slightly older than men she would normally find herself chatting to at a bar, yet she found him entirely captivating even then. His crooked smile and dark eyes, to his floppy hair that added a youthful yet wise touch to his appearance.

“And what about yourself? What has a cruise changed within you….?”

“Sorry, Belle- my name is Belle,” Belle offered her hand to Nick, who shook it, and Belle couldn’t deny the sparks she was beginning to feel.

“I learnt that the me that I am comfortable with, might not be the ‘me’ that I want to be, and a little perspective was all I needed to learnt that,” Belle pondered, and Gold nodded in understanding.

“It is entirely easy to fall into a ghost of yourself, and not realise how much of a life you are truly living. I haven’t taken a day off in...ten years before this cruise…” Nick realised, and Belle smiled.

“Neither had I, actually. I had this blind devotion to my work, ignoring everything else that would bring meaning to my life until I realised...This wasn't a life, it was just a job,” Belle realised, and Nick looked over his shoulder to signal the bartender. A minute later he brought over fresh drinks for the two of them, and Nick raised his glass to Belle.

“To learning to live again,” he toasted, and Belle heartily raised her glass to his.

“To living again,” their glasses clinked again, they sipped their drinks and maintained eye contact the entire time. Belle knew then how  she wanted her night was going to play out, and by the spark in his eye, so did Nick.

A few more drinks and laughs later, Belle and Nick found themselves dancing joyfully along to the jazz music playing in the dancefloor. Belle felt like she was in another world, another time, it added to the adventure and excitement of being a new version of herself. A version of Belle that was bold and audacious, lively and fun. It was a whirlwind of a night, and Belle couldn’t quite believe that they had danced all the way into the night, and were still dancing as the band packed up and the cleaners swept away all the confetti.

Belle and Nick found themselves wandering along the balcony of the cruise ship in the crisp, fresh air of the night. They were holding hands, and still chatting about things they wanted to do and see before they were old and senile. Belle was wearing Nick’s coat, and the two walked and talked, until they found themselves at the entrance to Nick’s cabin.

Belle let go of Nick’s hand, knowing that their magical night was about to end, and that it couldn’t go on, it shouldn’t go on. She began to shrug off his jacket to return to him, but found herself unable to let it go. Belle handed it to him, hoping he would feel her desires and place his hands on hers, to feel that spark. He looked at the jacket, and back at her, and wrapped his hands around hers.

From there, there was no going back, Belle reached up on the tips of her heels to reach his lips, and wrapped her arms around him. Nick’s hands dropped his jacket as he reciprocated Belle’s advances, and soon enough the two were realising their mutual, and undeniable, connection. They found their way to Gold’s cabin, and to his bed, and Belle had the greatest, amazing and fulfilling night of her life.

She woke up in his arms the next morning, feeling so entirely whole and happy. He was still soundly asleep, oblivious to the world around them. Unfortunately, Belle had already woken up, and knew they were back in the real world. Back to reality.

It was a wonderful and an enchanting night, but that was it, it was done. Belle got up, and got dressed, before finding her shoes and back before heading to the door. It was there she lingered, maybe hoping Nick would wake up and stop her, to pull her back into the dream they had shared. But he just continued to sleep, Belle smiled fondly, and opened the door silently before disappearing back into Belle French’s world.

It was that smile that brought her back as it was now she who was lying in the bed, and Nicholas lingering at the doorway watching her. Watching her and her baby. Their baby. He was here. And he knew. Belle knew Neal had told him yesterday, he had called her late last night to inform her. But Neal hadn’t told her what Nick was going to do, and Nick smiled nervously before entering the room. He had flowers. Daisies. 

 

“Hi,” was the first word she spoke to him since that night, and the first word knowing that he was Neal’s father. Oh, the awkwardness and embarrassment was returning...

“Hi,” Nick repeated, and he took a few more steps toward her.

“I uh, don’t really know what to say,” Nick breathed, clutching the flowers tighter.

“Neither do I,” Belle laughed, and the baby in her arms gurgled and squirmed in his sleep, reminding Belle for the first time since Nick entered the room that he was there. He was the reason they were both here now.

“You wanna hold him?” Belle whispered, careful not to wake him, and was surprised to see the unexpected flash in his eyes, and he placed the flowers on the bedside table and sat on the edge of Belle’s bed. They gingerly handled the trade off of the tiny cargo, avoiding any sudden movements to wake him, until he was safely and snugly in Nick’s arms. Belle leaned back and couldn’t help but notice how perfectly the tiny newborn fitted into his arms, and how wide he began to smile as he held his son for the first time.

“Hi little one, your Papa’s here….” Belle felt her eyes well up a little, and she sniffed. Nick looked up in worry at her response.

“I mean, is it okay if I say- that I’m-“

“Of course, Nick! Of course!”

Nick sighed in relief and nodded, before looking back down at his son, analysing and memorising his details just like Belle had.

“He is absolutely perfect, Belle” he breathed, like he was looking at a masterpiece, before looking back up at her, “He looks like you,” Nick added. Belle smiled again, and he handed their child back into her arms whilst still sitting at the edge of her bed.

“Have you named him yet?”

“No…I haven’t even thought about names yet, it doesn’t even seem real yet. I mean…he’s here and I can see him and feel him, but it’s just so surreal and wonderful. I don’t even know how to pick a name for him,” Belle laughed, and Gold chuckled softly too.

“Naming a child is a very delicate and important business, I wanted to call Neal 'Baelfire' from one of my favourite folk tales…but Neal’s mother vetoed that very quickly.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you that I was pregnant but, I had no way to contact you and I didn’t know-“

“-that I was Neal’s father?” Nick finished, with that same ridiculous smile that had captivated her all those nights ago, and the two locked eyes before bursting out into quiet laughter.

“I can’t believe this happened, it sounds like something out of a telenovela or soap opera,” Belle said as she wiped tears of laughter from her eyes.

“I don’t think anyone could have predicted this path we’d find ourselves on,” Nick said and the two fell into a moment of silence, both watching the tiny human that had brought them back together.

“I never thought I’d see you again. That night we had, was…” Belle pondered, and Nick nodded in understanding once again

“Magical. It was for me as well,” Nick revealed, and he seemed to hesitate and falter in words, trying to get out what he wanted to say.

“Belle, I want you to know that I do not have…any expectations of you or demands with this child. I don’t presume to know what your plans are and you probably haven’t had the chance to figure it out yourself yet…You didn’t pick me as the father of your child, I know that, and I just want you to know…that _I know_ that,” Nick flustered, and Belle reached out with her free hand to hold Nick’s.

“Whatever happens, this is our son and you will be his father, Nick” Belle spoke slowly, sure of the words she was saying despite being scared and unsure of the future they now found themselves in.

“The rest we will just have to figure out together,” Belle ended, and kept her hand entwined in Nick’s as he nodded in agreement, tears beginning to well up in his eyes. They both looked down at their son, the rest of the world around them seeming very uncertain and full of tough questions and decisions. But for now, the only thing in the world that mattered was how tiny this little boy's fingers were, and just how perfect he was in every way.


	4. An Unexpected Welcome

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neal nervously considers whether proposing to Emma is a good idea anymore given the family bombshell that recently went off. As Belle and baby are discharged from the hospital, Belle tries to make her intentions and expectations of Nicholas clear.

Neal had always been a bit on the reckless side of life. If his youthful discretions were anything to go buy, he wasn’t one to chicken out or lose his confidence. Despite messing up (a lot) in life, he still always found an inner strength to carry on. He was a good man, and he was confident in saying so. He was someone who always vowed if he did right by the world, the world would do right by him. He would fix the mistakes he made, be heroic and strong, remain kind and witty, give his son a good example to look up to. A leader, a visionary, a dashing and handsome-

“Dad…why are you eating the ice-cream out of the tub?”

The kitchen light switched on and shone a confronting light onto Neal in his pyjamas, at 1am in his home, busted for stress eating by his 10 year old son. Henry looked up to his dad from the doorway. Rubbing his weary eyes and looking at his dad with a puzzled expression. Neal swallowed his last mouthful of rocky road and considered his next move carefully. 

“$5 and you can grab a spoon if you don’t tell Mom,” Neal proposed. Henry lowered his hand from his eyes, pondered over the deal, and shuffled to the kitchen drawer. He sat across from him at the table and slid the bucket over. Henry dug his spoon into the icecream as if he were ice-picking, hauling out a gigantic slab and consuming the lot before sliding the bucket back over to Neal.

“You only eat ice-cream when something bad is happening, like when you wrecked Mom’s car,” Henry observed, and Neal bit his lip.

“Please don’t mention the bug…she still hasn’t forgiven me for that.”

“Did you do something bad again?”

“No, no, no. No. No, I didn’t do anything bad, not at all,” Neal rushed, and Henry raised an eyebrow.

“So someone else did something bad? Who?”

“Well it’s not necessarily a _bad_ thing. It’s just a _big_ thing, or really a small thing…Your Grandpa sort of-“

“Wait! Hold on! _Grandpa_ did something bad??” Henry’s jaw dropped, in shock and amazement, and remained dropped as he continued to shovel in the rocky road. Neal sighed and rubbed the back of his neck intensely. How does one inform their son that he has a new…Uncle? Cousin?

“Well…you remember Belle from my work? She babysat you a couple of times?"

“Yeah, she gave me books!”

“Okay….so…Grandpa met Belle last year, but he didn’t know that we worked together or anything. And he….he gave Belle something too….he gave, uh……”

Oh no. Suddenly Neal realised the conversation of his new brother would entail the… _other_ conversation.

“What did Grandpa give Belle?” Henry looked up at him with ridiculously innocent and naïve eyes, and Neal chickened out. He faced off against an FBI agent once by lying through the skin of his teeth, but a damn 10 year old is making him nearly wet himself.

“It doesn’t matter what Grandpa gave Belle, that is….a conversation you’re gonna have with Mom when you are _a lot_ older. The point is, that…they had a baby together. And this baby is my new brother, and your new uncle.”

“…but uncles are old.”

“Yes, normally they are, but your uncle is actually going to be younger to you. And you’ll get to meet him soon, hopefully. He doesn’t have a name yet, but he will soon."

Henry looked about as confused as when Neal tries to help him with his math homework, and looked as though he were on the brink of solving the equation when he nodded, and continued shovelling ice-cream.

“So did you give Mom the ring yet?” Henry asked, and Neal sighed, leaning back into his chair.

“No…with everything that’s happened in the last few days it just seems like now isn’t the right-wait! How do you know about the ring???” Neal bolted out of his chair and looked down at his son, who just shrugged like Neal had asked if the sky was blue.

“Grandpa told me about it,” Henry simply answered. Neal dug his spoon into the ice-cream and dug out a stressed-size spoonful. He began pacing.

“So…everyone knows I’m going to propose to Emma…. _expect_ Emma!”   

“Dad...are you okay?”

Neal stopped pacing and looked down at his boy, who was genuinely concerned. Neal smiled and grabbed his son with one arm around the chair.

“Yeah, Kid. It’ll be okay. Just been a crazy few days.”

“You know….Mom is totally going to say yes when you do ask her, why wouldn’t she?”

Neal smiled and kissed his son on the head, so very glad his son inherited his dad’s wisdom and not his. If only he could be so sure. 

“Alright…one more scoop then we got to get back to bed…or your Mom will kill both of us.”

 

Neal showed up to work the next day feeling like things were reaching a new normality. Okay, yes, his dad did accidentally sleep with his friend. And yes, they did just have a child together. But it’s okay! It might not be the most conventional kind of family, but when had they ever been close to conventional to begin with?

He started his day with rounds and checking up on a few patients before deciding to stop by and visit Belle. Her and baby were in perfect health, and they were being discharged later in the afternoon after the baby passed the car seat test.

He stopped by just as Belle was packing her last bag, and talking to someone in the room out of sight, and it almost seemed like an argument. Neal stopped himself before entering the room for fear of interrupting something he shouldn’t. but then he saw his father walk into view.

“It really isn’t something I see as an issue, Belle” he heard his father say.

“That’s because it isn’t an issue for you. Money has always been an issue for my family and I don’t want to accept something I didn’t earn. Particularly _that_ much, Nicholas.” Belle seemed annoyed, defensive, quite the opposite the two had been yesterday. What the hell had his father proposed…

“It is just to help out with the baby until you get back to work, and I am more than willing to help out more-“

“and make me feel like some prostitute you’re paying off, Henry VIII??” Woah, okay….historical references meant Belle was gearing up to fight, and to win.

“Hey-Hey-Hey guys, what’s going on in here?” Neal burst in and could feel the tension within the room, and his father stop dead in his tracks.

“Son…what are you doing here?”

Neal held up his ID badge, raised an eyebrow and pointed, before his father scowled and went back to nervous pacing.

“Your father is offering me money for his child…” Belle said crossly, and sat on the edge of her bed.

“Well, when you put it like that it makes me sound like I’m making a deal for him! I’m not! He is our son and I just want to help, Belle!”

“I know! But-“

“Okay, stop.” Neal held up his hands to the two of them, until both submitted to silence.

“Belle, you just had a baby and you need help, your going to need all kinds of help you don’t even know yet. Papa, you want to help, and that’s great and brilliant and all that…but what Belle needs is not monetary help. She needs us,” Neal explained, and his father nodded.

“What I’m suggesting is…you come stay with us until you are all settled, Belle. Then you guys can take it wherever you want to go take it.” Neal lowered his hands and waited for both parties to comment.

“Of course, Belle. We have plenty of room for you and the baby, and I’m sure Henry and Emma won’t mind either,” Gold shot a look to his son who put a thumbs up.

“Henry’s real keen to meet his uncle,” Neal winked, and Belle laughed.

“Well…will it be okay with you Neal? I mean, this whole situation is still a little strange…but you didn’t sign up for it either,” Belle frowned in concern, and Neal went up and took her hand.

“Hey…you’ve always been like family to me, anyway Belle. Now, it’s just official!” All three of them laughed, and even his little brother cooed in with unison. It was agreed then. Baby and Belle were coming home.

That evening, after Neal finished work he drove home behind his father, carrying Belle and the tiny new baby to their new temporary home. Emma and Henry were inside making dinner, and as the small party entered the living room, they were greeted by a welcome sign and party decorations. Henry was jumping up and down with excitement, Emma wore an apprehensive look that Neal recognised as ‘I’m pretending to be annoyed by this, but we all know I’m going to cave in and give up in a few days’ expression. The sign read “Welcome Home Belle & Baby!!!”

“You really need to name that baby, Belle,” Neal grimaced.


End file.
